The Environment Agency has announced a set of new supplier arrangements and partnerships which will increase efficiency, value for money and the green legacy of its £2.6 billion capital investment programme. The programme aims to better protect 300,000 homes from coastal erosion and flooding up to 2021 and beyond. Effective
Work to resurface a major link road in Sheffield has been started by construction firm Amey, part of the highway resurfacing programme which is being rolled out by Streets Ahead. Work to prepare and resurface Europa Drive and Europa Link has now started and will continue, during night-time hours, for
A new form of cleaner and cheaper temporary power, utilising the latest gas microturbine technology from California, is being launched by SSE Enterprise and Pure World Energy. The semi-permanent power solution will help developers cut costs and emissions – thanks to its modular gas micro-turbine technology capable of providing onsite
Hull’s £200 million Energy Works has appointed global engineering firm Black & Veatch as the new principal contractor, after M+W Group had its contract terminated due to concerns over significant delays in the build. Once completed, the site will generate enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes. It also hopes
After secuting a place on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework for Defence services, Amey is set to bid for the next round of UK Defence contracts. The firm is one of one of six shortlisted FM providers who will compete for the Future Infrastructure Defence Services (FDIS). The lots
Energy management specialist TEAM has strengthened its software portfolio with the launch of its next generation Sigma Tenant Billing solution. The application enables organisations to accurately and efficiently apportion utility costs between tenants, cost centres or departments delivering transparent accountable billing. The flexible and reliable solution seamlessly integrates with existing
Two water-related contracts, which will see upgrades completed on a North Lincolnshire pumping station and West Sussex pipeline, have been won by Galliford Try. The firm will upgrade Keadby pumping station near Scunthorpe for the Environment Agency under a £20.5 million contract. This project will be carried out in a
UK Power Network has invested £600 million to boost London’s electricity network. The company’s major works have enabled the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula, Nine Elms, Kidbrooke and White City, plus flagship projects such as Crossrail, the Thames Tideway tunnel and HS2. This annual investment is part of the company’s
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU), one of Britain’s leading utility network construction specialists, has appointed David Burbidge as Managing Director for England and Wales to drive growth in residential markets and to build on its success in commercial energy schemes. David brings 30 years’ energy, utilities and asset management expertise to
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reveals how energy efficient a property is. If you are a former or current renter, you may have already seen one. They’re often provided by letting agents to assess the potential cost of energy bills — but, they can help any UK resident to carefully
The Environment Agency has announced a set of new supplier arrangements and partnerships which will increase efficiency, value for money and the green legacy of its £2.6 billion capital investment programme. The programme aims to better protect 300,000 homes from coastal erosion and flooding up to 2021 and beyond. Effective from April 2019, the Environment Agency’s Next Generation Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) will form the basis of new ways of working which will help better protect people and the environment whilst ensuring that sustainable development is at the core of Environment Agency projects. The new NGSA arrangements have been developed using the EA’s long experience in the Flood and Coastal Risk Management sector as well as learning from other leading public and private infrastructure providers. The new arrangements promote innovative ways of collaborative working with delivery partners and local communities from the initial planning stages of a project right through to its completion. The new supplier arrangements will also lead to longer term team working and new ways of engaging with local organisations and communities. This closer working will ensure that homes, communities and businesses are receiving the best possible flood and coastal management for the challenges facing their area. At the same time flood and coastal defence projects will promote economic growth, social wellbeing and will seek to enhance levels of natural capital within the local community, making sure that each scheme brings long-lasting benefits for future generations. Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at the Environment Agency, said: “This ambitious new framework will help us to continue to deliver our £2.6 billion flood and coastal defence programme in a way which ensures that sustainability, efficiency and value for money remain at the very heart of the work we do to protect people, homes and the environment.” “The Environment Agency continues to work closely with partners and communities from across the country to deliver our commitment of investing £2.6 billion to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion over six years.” The new arrangements are also a major step forwards for delivering low carbon solutions for projects which will help the EA work towards the Government’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. The NGSA arrangements run through to 2023 with the opportunity to extend to 2027. The definitive list of new suppliers can be found below.
Work to resurface a major link road in Sheffield has been started by construction firm Amey, part of the highway resurfacing programme which is being rolled out by Streets Ahead. Work to prepare and resurface Europa Drive and Europa Link has now started and will continue, during night-time hours, for the next six weeks. As well as being home to several businesses, Europe Link is a busy connecting route stretching from the Sheffield Parkway, close to the AMRC site, over to Shepcote Lane, Darnall. In recent weeks, Amey have worked closely with affected businesses to communicate their plans in advance, in hope of minimising disruption and enabling local workers to be fully prepared. “It’s been really beneficial to work with affected businesses ahead of works starting on this busy route. A number of them have agreed to close early or even close for the day to allow us to complete the resurfacing with minimal disruption, and we are really thankful for their co-operation,” said Andrew Staniforth, Assembly Steward for Amey. “Our works will start on Europa Drive, and then proceed onto Europa Link, from Wood Lane roundabout towards Shepcote Lane, over the next six weeks. Due to the sheer volume of traffic and the different needs of the businesses based there, including two large-scale distribution companies, we will be working on Sundays and overnight to complete the work,” Andrew added. The 4km route will be prepared first and then surfaced between now and early May. Some road closures will be in place during that period, and there are already diversion signs in place where the work has started.
A new form of cleaner and cheaper temporary power, utilising the latest gas microturbine technology from California, is being launched by SSE Enterprise and Pure World Energy. The semi-permanent power solution will help developers cut costs and emissions – thanks to its modular gas micro-turbine technology capable of providing onsite temporary or medium-term power that is ultra-low in NOx (Nitrogen oxides) and Sox (Sulphur oxides) emissions – especially compared with diesel generation. The technology comes from US company Capstone, which is a leading manufacturer of clean micro turbine systems which has deployed over 9,000 such units globally. Capstone’s microturbines have been developed to pass strict California emissions levels, and have already provided power in varied locations such as remote oil fields and mines. There is currently a great deal of government focus in the UK and Ireland on tackling air pollution in cities, London is leading the way by introducing an Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) from April 8th. Capstone microturbines are ideally positioned to meet the new emissions thresholds. Likewise, these intermediate power solutions will also help in cities where the Grid is ‘constrained’ ie where the electricity transmission system is unable to transmit power to the location of demand due to congestion at one or more parts of the transmission network. In Dublin for example, the current high levels of development and consequent demand for power is putting pressure on the Grid, causing potential delays to projects in the city. Neil Kirkby, Managing Director of SSE Enterprise, said the units would offer “total flexibility” to the user, in terms of modular load matching and financial proposition for power requirements from 30kVa to 30MVa. He said: “We believe that the ability of our product to reduce emissions from generation is potentially game-changing. Until now construction companies, developers and manufacturers have had to rely on diesel generation to meet their onsite needs. New tough emissions targets make this hard for developers, who still need to meet demand for their temporary generation. “Demand for new city infrastructure has never been greater. But constrained power networks are now effectively becoming a barrier to development, not least because it can take two years for a Grid connection to be delivered. This means potentially large energy users can’t access readily the energy they require to meet demand. “We’re looking to solve both these issues by providing a cleaner source of electricity from temporary generation tailored to meet the demands of the customer and the regulator. This is a new application of containerised micro-turbine gas technology in the UK that is already proven across the globe.” Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Pure World Energy (PWE), added: “PWE is delighted to partner with SSE to launch our semi-permanent power solution. Our Capstone micro turbine technology offers a clean, efficient and effective model for medium-term electricity supply. We are offering a hybrid ESCo model that will give customers cost certainty and greater reliability. “Given the amount of focus we are seeing in the UK & Ireland on reducing pollution in our cities we think this is a very timely market intervention. We hope that many businesses will be able to benefit from these units – especially when they face constrained grid issues.” The new service will also transform how customers pay for their temporary generation. Traditionally, customers pay for the cost hire of the plant, fuel and other services but now they will simply pay for the energy they consume at an agreed price for a set period. The units can run off other types of all fuels and will run effectively off a mains gas line or tanked source. Four Key Benefits of the new microturbines are: Cleaner – It beats traditional onsite diesel generation on emissions, noise and space Cheaper – It’s up to 20% cheaper than the equivalent cost of diesel generation Simpler – Customers only pay for the energy they consume, and no back-up generation is required More flexible – The modular configuration of the microturbines means they can be scaled up or down to match demand, making the technology suitable for multiple industries
Hull’s £200 million Energy Works has appointed global engineering firm Black & Veatch as the new principal contractor, after M+W Group had its contract terminated due to concerns over significant delays in the build. Once completed, the site will generate enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes. It also hopes to reduce the amount of waste heading to landfill by almost 250,000 tonnes. “Black & Veatch are pleased to be supporting Bioenergy Infrastructure Group to oversee the final stages of commissioning of the Energy Works Hull (EWH) project,” said Peter Hughes, director of business development at Black & Veatch Europe. The drastic decision to terminate the contract of M+W Group was taken in March by shareholders at Energy Works, which includes firm Bioenergy Infrastructure Group (BIG). Energy Works bosses said at the time the move “guaranteed the future of the plant,” amid uncertainty over when it will open its doors. The announcement came after months of delays at the site. Last December, it was confirmed the opening of Energy Works had once again been pushed back , with spring 2019 announced as the target. “Black & Veatch has demonstrated both technical capability and organisational commitment to the renewable energy industry, including as a lead contractor at our Ince Bio Power project in Cheshire,” said Hamish McPherson, CEO at Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, of the new appointment. “We are delighted to have brought them on board in Hull. This represents very good news not only for this facility but for the city of Hull. We have regenerated a brownfield site, will be enabling other local businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, and will be providing clean energy to the local grid,” Hamish added. Over 500 people were employed during the construction phase of Energy Works, and a further 25 jobs will follow in the operational phase. More jobs are being supported in the supply chain. BIG recently announced that Ince Bio Power, its facility near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire which uses similar technology to Energy Works, is fully operational. Ince Bio Power is currently the largest facility of its kind in the UK but will be overtaken by Energy Works once the Hull plant is fully operational.
After secuting a place on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework for Defence services, Amey is set to bid for the next round of UK Defence contracts. The firm is one of one of six shortlisted FM providers who will compete for the Future Infrastructure Defence Services (FDIS). The lots Amey has been shortlisted for are: • Two housing contracts which will include provision of the full range of occupancy management services including allocation and occupation of MOD housing in the UK and Northern Ireland along with housing maintenance services. • The Defence Facilities Management contract which will provide hard facilities management services to ensure a fit-for-purpose MOD Estate and includes barracks, airfields and other defence facilities in the UK and Northern Ireland. “Securing a place on the CCS Framework has provided us with a great opportunity to build on our existing relationships in the Defence sector. Amey is pleased to focus on the defence sector and our efforts to improve the service we provide to the UK’s Armed Forces and their families. We will now draw on our experience to deliver the key elements of the required framework scope and support our business strategy of becoming the MOD’s most trusted partner,” said Amey’s Chief Executive, Andy Milner. The company will now compete in a series of ‘call-off’ contract competitions with each ‘call-off’ contract being seven years in length with options to extend up to a further three years, subject to satisfactory performance and other considerations.
Energy management specialist TEAM has strengthened its software portfolio with the launch of its next generation Sigma Tenant Billing solution. The application enables organisations to accurately and efficiently apportion utility costs between tenants, cost centres or departments delivering transparent accountable billing. The flexible and reliable solution seamlessly integrates with existing energy management systems, delivering effective measurement and sophisticated bill calculation. Users have the added advantage of integrating the data into their accounting system through the Accounts Link interface, speeding-up the billing process. To ensure the software suits the specific needs of its users to deliver on their efficiency targets and economise the tenant billing process, TEAM worked in partnership with its customers on the design and functionality. Tom Anderton, Product and Service Development Manager, TEAM said: ”Tenant billing is the natural next step on the journey to ensuring we can meet the evolving needs of organisations across a wide range of industries. By working closely with our customers, we understand the unique challenges that can come with tenant billing. “This collaboration has led to the inclusion of enhanced functionality to address these issues, such as flexible charging methodologies, allowing users to define their own utility tariffs and use data from a variety of sources. As well as the ability to charge against multiple commodities and calorific value conversion, which ensures greater transparency when billing volumetric consumption.” Developed as part of its flagship energy management software, Sigma, users can manage, monitor and gain insights into their tenant’s energy consumption through one system. By tackling two energy management needs in one, the application offers more functionality than proprietary systems. The approach aligns with the organisation’s first-class ethos, to deliver solutions and services that exceed in addressing the challenges of modern energy management. In adopting Sigma Tenant Billing, customers will receive a dedicated deployment designed to meet their specific requirements, along with continued on-going support. Simon Miles, Chief Executive Officer, TEAM added: “At a time when organisations are feeling the pressures of economic and political uncertainty, we want to help businesses in using technology to support sustainable and efficient operations. “With Sigma Tenant Billing, businesses will see operational benefits and cash savings from day one, and with the built-in option to scale-up as the business grows, customers can expect to achieve added return on their investment.” The launch of Sigma Tenant Billing marks another milestone achievement in TEAM’s product and service roadmap, demonstrating its commitment to delivering innovative and robust solutions that meet the evolving needs of the energy industry. If you have any questions relating to Sigma Tenant Billing please get in touch on 01908 889 866 or email us on enquiries@teamenergy.com.
Two water-related contracts, which will see upgrades completed on a North Lincolnshire pumping station and West Sussex pipeline, have been won by Galliford Try. The firm will upgrade Keadby pumping station near Scunthorpe for the Environment Agency under a £20.5 million contract. This project will be carried out in a joint venture with Black & Veatch. The station is located at the end of a complex network of rivers and pumping stations within the lowlying Isle of Axholme which spans around 200 square miles across South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The pumps help transfer flood water from the Three Rivers into the River Trent during high tides. The station is nearly 80 years old and has reached the end of its working life. Work involves replacing the existing diesel driven pumps with six electric pumps, constructing electrical equipment buildings within the existing site and rebuilding the outfall headwall where the Three Rivers discharge to the Trent. Work starts this month and full completion is set for June 2021. The other project, worth £14.5 million, involves the laying of a 10km pipeline in Chichester, West Sussex, for Southern Water. The new waste water transfer main with three new pumping stations will run from the west of the city to the Tangmere treatment works in the east. The new infrastructure is necessary to connect three major housing developments of 3,800 homes in the catchment to the sewer network while complying with Environment Agency consents to limit storm discharges from the existing Chichester treatment works into the harbour. Both contracts will be undertaken by the Environment business unit of Galliford Try’s Infrastructure division.
UK Power Network has invested £600 million to boost London’s electricity network. The company’s major works have enabled the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula, Nine Elms, Kidbrooke and White City, plus flagship projects such as Crossrail, the Thames Tideway tunnel and HS2. This annual investment is part of the company’s commitment to invest £1.6 billion in London from 2015 to 2023. Since the beginning of its investment, UK Power Networks has developed a number of new electricity sub stations. “We work with developers, land owners and local authorities to ensure they have the power they need to progress their plans, which ultimately delivers economic growth for all,” said Director of Connections Mark Adolphus. “In the first six months of 2018 we commissioned five main substations to boost the capacity of the London network – that’s the most investment we’ve seen since the 1960s. That includes three main electricity substations within three kilometres of each other; Black Wall Way and Greenwich are catering for infrastructure developments. The third is Crossrail Limmo which is fully funded by our customer. This new infrastructure is the result of a lot of hard work from employees across our business and it represents a huge growth in our network capacity,” Mark added. The total power capacity being installed in London is around 540 MW- which is equivalent to powering 270,000 new homes. New substations providing extra power capacity and built since 2017 include Greenwich Peninsula, Camden and Whitechapel. Other projects under construction to power further development in areas of London and facilitate more infrastructure projects, include new substations at Nine Elms, White City, Willesden and Silvertown. UK Power Networks adds tens of thousands of new connections to its networks every year, runs 30,000 kilometres of high voltage cables under the streets of London, and is developing a smart grid to support changing energy needs.
Energy Assets Utilities (EAU), one of Britain’s leading utility network construction specialists, has appointed David Burbidge as Managing Director for England and Wales to drive growth in residential markets and to build on its success in commercial energy schemes. David brings 30 years’ energy, utilities and asset management expertise to his new role, having served in senior management positions with Power On Connections, Eon and Babcock International. “I am very excited to be joining EAU at a time of significant opportunity for the business,” said David. “We are expanding our utility network construction capabilities to include fibre-to-the-home to satisfy growing demand among housebuilders for a one-stop solution to all their utility needs. “At the same time, we continue to invest in our success in commercial Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) schemes, while actively exploring emerging opportunities in the distributed generation market.” David will be responsible for EAU operations based at Northampton and Birstall (West Yorkshire). His focus is on developing an agile connections business that sets the standard for network construction, meets all customer utility requirements through a unified service offering, and creates asset ownership opportunities for the Energy Assets Group. He will also play a key role in driving EAU’s strategy to expand the reach of the company’s products and services across Britain. Says David: “I am delighted to be part of a team with a clear vision for the future, working alongside like-minded people who share the same ambition, values and principles.” On 1st February 2019, EAU announced that all of its utility network design and construction operations, including Future Energy Group and Dragon Infrastructure Solutions, were being rebranded as Energy Assets Utilities. The company employs 300 people and also has operational centres in Livingston and Alva in Scotland. www.energyassets.co.uk
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reveals how energy efficient a property is. If you are a former or current renter, you may have already seen one. They’re often provided by letting agents to assess the potential cost of energy bills — but, they can help any UK resident to carefully budget. Here, we explore their significance in more detail. Who produces an EPC? EPCs are issued by qualified assessors. Before a certificate is produced, they inspect your home, calculate the amount of energy used per m², and observe its carbon dioxide emissions (per year). This is primarily based on the energy that you use for lighting, hot water and heating. Afterwards, they match your home’s efficiency to the EPC colour-coded scale. Your property is then graded with an energy efficiency level between A and G. A represents the lowest range of running costs (92/100 and above), while G is used for the highest (1-20/100). Your EPC is valid for 10 years. With it, you can learn how green your living space is. What are its benefits? You can use your EPC to improve the energy efficiency of your home. In the UK, this record typically displays two ratings columns. One presents the current grade of your home; the other suggests an attainable higher figure. Almost always, the latter presents how much you could possibly save in energy costs. This can benefit you as an individual and wider society. From an environmental perspective, it could motivate people to become more conscious of their energy consumption. It may also enable people to reduce their bills. In addition, with a high EPC rating, Britons stand to heighten the value of their property. So, its rewards can be enjoyed by all. How Can I Improve My Rating? If your EPC rating isn’t as high as you would like it to be, don’t worry. There are easy ways to improve it. And they can improve the comfort and value of your property, too. Thermal insulation is usually the best place to start. Double glazed windows, for example, could raise your home’s heat retention rate. Loft and wall insulation can help with this, too. With these modifications, you may be able to lower your energy use. This can increase your EPC rating and limit your monthly outgoings. Additionally, through regular boiler checks, you can make sure that your living area is as energy-efficient as possible. With simple steps, you can strengthen the green value of where you live. An EPC can be a valuable tool — one that can enable us to save both money and the planet. Now that you know how, you could very well maximise your home’s energy efficiency. This is an exciting time for smart power consumption.
